Said jacob



(No Model.)

J. W. & L. A. WEEKS. FOLDING DRESS EXTENDER.

No. 406,155. Patented July 2, 1889.

M aWz/omga UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB W. IVEEKS AND LULU A. VYEEKS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN; SAID JACOB W. WEEKS ASSIGNOR TO SAID LULU A. WEEKS.

FOLDING DRESS-EXTENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,155, dated. Ju1y 2, 1889.

Application filed February 23, I889- Serial No. 300,958. (No model.)

To all whom it may COM/08TH:

Be it known that we, JACOB WV. WVEEKS and LULU A. \VEEKS, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Skirt-Extenders; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had. to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective View of our improved device, showing the same in an operative position. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, showing the joint portion in section and the band or tape unfast ened. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the joint portion with the spring-strips broken away. Fig. 4 illustrates plans of the extender, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modification with the spring-strips broken away.

Our invention relates to an improvement in folding dress-extenders, and the novelty will be fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the claim appended.

Fig. 1 represents one of our folding skirtextenders in the position which it would be when inserted in the skirt.

A is an elastic band or tape used to hold the ends of the extender in any desired position.

B indicates the steel or bone or other elastic extender in common use, and our improvement is shown by the joint 0, which is formed by dividing theextender into two or more parts and holding the same together by an elastic strap D, which may be made of rubber, coil-wire, or any other elastic substance and applied on either side of the extender.

On one end of the joint is adjusted a socket or sheath E, into which the opposite end or tongue 0 is inserted when desired, the two parts being held in position by the elastic strap or band D, as represented in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings.

It will be observed that in the manufacture of our extenders we fold the ends of the clastic strip D upon themselves and .seeure this strip firmly to the ends of the spring-strips B B by means of eyelets a a; also, that for the purpose of re-enforcing the back ends of the said spring-strips, and also forming a strong inflexible joint when these strips are united, we firmly rivet the sheath E to one end of a strip B by means of an eyelet a, and, as in Fig. 5, we similarly rivet a tongue-piece G to one end of the other strip B, this tongue-piece having shoulders I), which limit the distance it shall enter the sheath. It will also be observed that the socket or sheath E is not in any manner liable to wear the clothing, for the reason that it is rigidly secured to the end of its spring-section B by an eyelet-rivet, the same rivet serving to attach the folded end of the elastic uniting-strip D to the springstrip B.

In applying our device as many of the skirtextenders as may be required to properly extend or support the dress or skirt are used one above the other, as represented in Fig. 4.

This device is also an equivalent for a bus- 7 5 tle, and may be used with or without the same, i or in bustles, and can also be applied to other articles of wearing-apparel.

The object of our invention is to enable the folding dress-extender to be disjointed, and thereby permit the skirt to be folded without injury either to the extender or the skirt.

The extender may be made with one or more of our folding joints.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is-- As an improved article of manufacture, the folding dress-extender consisting of two spring-strips B B, an elastic connection D, a sheath E, rigidly secured to the end of one of 0 said strips, and a tongue on the adjacent end of the other strip adapted to enter said sheath,

all as specified. Y

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

J. W. -WEEKS.

LULU A. WEEKS.

Witnesses:

Jos. L. HARRINGTON, FRANK D. ANnRUs. 

